The formula for population-based health funding needs to be re-examined, the Labour Party's health spokesman Grant Robertson says.
During a visit to Dunedin, he said that, while the formula took account of the age of populations, there was a need to have a funding system which addressed the mix of services required.
He was not sure the existing formula did that and felt it deserved "another look".
Finding detail on the formula calculations was difficult.
Should he become health minister, he would be keen to look at the issues with "fresh eyes" to ensure funding worked to provide services in the most equitable way, he said.
He was keen to see nationwide prioritisation criteria used to allocate elective surgery so there was no danger of "post code access", where how fast people received treatment depended on where they lived.
Labour's health policy has yet to be announced, but Mr Robertson indicated it would have some different targets from the six under the Government. The emphasis would be on preventing illness, community care and improving children's health.
